Starting cuttings in water

[DallasFigShop]

You know me man ...

I actually root Ginko Biloba in water also even though the wood is hard it shows a high rate with the woodier ones. Some dwarf varieties have soft bark that falls apart and rots, and they also haooen to be heat sensitive usually..

so long as I take cuttings early summer, after leaves have completley formed, roots will grow into rain water. Cuttings a month earlier before leaves fully formed had a much lower rate so I am going back to late May here.. maybe June July in Northern states... they have to use up the green energy first i suppose before focusing on roots

It's easy just stick toothpicks into your avocado seed... set it forget it bro

 

[ktrain]

I actually root Ginko Biloba in water also even though the wood is hard it shows a high rate with the woodier ones. Some dwarf varieties have soft bark that falls apart and rots, and they also haooen to be heat sensitive usually..

so long as I take cuttings early summer, after leaves have completley formed, roots will grow into rain water. Cuttings a month earlier before leaves fully formed had a much lower rate so I am going back to late May here.. maybe June July in Northern states... they have to use up the green energy first i suppose before focusing on roots

It's easy just stick toothpicks into your avocado seed... set it forget it bro

My wife did that with an avocado once, I forgot all about that, hm...not even sure what she did with it. lol

 

[Schoenie]

I actually root Ginko Biloba in water also even though the wood is hard it shows a high rate with the woodier ones. Some dwarf varieties have soft bark that falls apart and rots, and they also haooen to be heat sensitive usually..

so long as I take cuttings early summer, after leaves have completley formed, roots will grow into rain water. Cuttings a month earlier before leaves fully formed had a much lower rate so I am going back to late May here.. maybe June July in Northern states... they have to use up the green energy first i suppose before focusing on roots

It's easy just stick toothpicks into your avocado seed... set it forget it bro

Interesting that you mention Ginkgo Biloba. I'm trying to root a couple (although it does not seem to be the season, I understand) in 4x9 pots, same method as I root my fig cuttings, for my daughter, who loves them. I made sure to take cuttings from a male tree: I'd rather face the pollen than the terrible smell of the seeds that the female trees drop. They've been in my grow box for a couple of weeks now, and I think they might start "grabbing onto the soil". That's at least how they felt last time I checked... Fingers crossed...

 

[Schoenie]

My wife did that with an avocado once, I forgot all about that, hm...not even sure what she did with it. lol

I'm doing those too... But just to grow rootstock (avocados are NOT true to seed, as you probably know).
Once these have grown out a bit, I can take scions from my neighbor's grafted Hass avocado and try my hand in grafting...
Just saw them at WallyWorld for only $0.58 a piece, but it's so much fun to eat one from your own tree, isn't it?

 

[DallasFigShop]

I have not tried at this time of year .. only May (100%success here) which was right when I thought the leaves were comolemy sized... a couple morenthat year in July, (also 100%).. but once I tri3d April and they did poorly..

I just cut an pop them into small rimmed plastic bottles filled with rain water, maybe some plastic filler stuffed in to prevent evaporation and they root in about 6-8 weeks ..

I think i actually did try Mariken in the winter months but usually I have less space to root anything but figs in the winter lol

I have almost given up on Acocado as much as I'd like to try one of the cold Hardy varieties I doubt they would work here but home depot had some last year or the year before I think. Way more than.58 that like an ebay wholesalers price

8

Interesting that you mention Ginkgo Biloba. I'm trying to root a couple (although it does not seem to be the season, I understand) in 4x9 pots, same method as I root my fig cuttings, for my daughter, who loves them. I made sure to take cuttings from a male tree: I'd rather face the pollen than the terrible smell of the seeds that the female trees drop. They've been in my grow box for a couple of weeks now, and I think they might start "grabbing onto the soil". That's at least how they felt last time I checked... Fingers crossed...

 

[ktrain]

I'm doing those too... But just to grow rootstock (avocados are NOT true to seed, as you probably know).
Once these have grown out a bit, I can take scions from my neighbor's grafted Hass avocado and try my hand in grafting...
Just saw them at WallyWorld for only $0.58 a piece, but it's so much fun to eat one from your own tree, isn't it?

I wish it was easier to grow here.
Too many items to shuffle or protect just starts to seem to much like work.
I have quite a bit of stuff like that already. lol
But yes, always very cool to eat what you have grown yourself!

 

[bushdoctor82]

Have you ever used a heat mat beneath the glasses of water? I finally changed the water today and I wouldn’t consider the temperature warm. Wondering if a heat mat would be beneficial for root growth.

 

[DallasFigShop]

I don't but I constructed a seedling starting windowsill box/stand a few years ago with cheap fluoros.. on cooler nights I run the lights. I can run a pad in there that keeps warm air flowing.. also I have a heater that has a thermostat and blows air into there if its very cold by the window

I don't like the idea of having a heat mat directly under because water can fluctuate to being too warm as easily as too cool. The perfect temp usually feels cool to the touch imo but is subjective.. you just don't want it 'cold' or 'hot'. The wood in between the cups and the light keeps it stable and heat comes up around the edges to blend with any draft

I used a sized piece of paneling that is covered with mylar on one side and its my door... that way the portion up top reflects sunlight back into younger plants as well as the lower part reflecting back onto seedlings..

The cottage cheese bucket helps by holding it open a little so that warm air trickles up on that side

Have you ever used a heat mat beneath the glasses of water? I finally changed the water today and I wouldn’t consider the temperature warm. Wondering if a heat mat would be beneficial for root growth.

 

[Tridrama]

I have rooted ALOT of figs in water.
View attachment 3582

The key is temperature since water can swing high and low easier... be watchful by windows on cooler nights . I run lights under them... a stand that I can start seeds under... for bottom warmth

i use rainwater and lots of hydrogen peroxide. I do find that since they want co2 more than oxygen that I get alot of root formation above water in the early stages. By the time they are strong the h202 has released and turned to water and they seem stronger afterwards.

. I start off about 1 to 5 ratio with rainwater and without having to worry about the powdery stains left by hard calcified water.. which I'll use but only when short of rainwater and I have to change it more often when I do... with rainwater and occasionally dousing wherever anything besides figs grow i can avoid changing water as often with most of them, many not at all or just once or twice during the process

My primary hobby is to trial figs for this climate..Many do well in ground here but if they do well in pots then there is the potential for stardom! And some I just have to catch a taste of..

Water rooting imo is the best method for areas with warmer winters when mindful of the key factors... especially in keeping stable temps by a sunny window but with mind paid to fluctuations...temps between 65F and 85F seems to be the range some varieties like the top of the rangr and some move faster at the bottom of the range, i suspect it anyhow.

With that said it gets too hot to water root in the early to late spring here and so the variable is key in this climate... unless you are all in on controlling the conditions I let the window and the sun handle most of it

these are mostly trials, a few duplications and some that I just had to get. I am going to have to get a field. Just this morning i was thinking that someday I'll start a workshop where I'll teach ppl how to put these into water and to be mindful about stable temps .. yeah the roots can break but once you get the hang of it a root here or there is not an issue. I tend to pot up before alot of roots grow but when I do I take Jrmstssus's advice to place them in the container and to fill it with bike dry soil before wetting it.

The chances are higher but IF you put the time in and watch them regularly and correct all issues ... note cloudy water or odors .. never let one sit in water with one that is rotting.. the h202 can help offer alot of that, as does using rainwater.. the gel that some varieties form to heal is not an issue and clouds the water differently but I will still change it after a few days but so long as I can see the cutting easily through the water

So far this year I have roots on three
TFH Firehouse
Atreano
Labritja

Thanks for sharing this. I've tried starting with water. I get 50/50 results.

 

[LaFigGwr18]

Have you ever used a heat mat beneath the glasses of water? I finally changed the water today and I wouldn’t consider the temperature warm. Wondering if a heat mat would be beneficial for root growth.

I have never used a heat mat. If you do maybe you can check the temp of the water.

 

[Figless]

I recently made a comment about water rooting of cuttings versus the cup and lid method or the fig pop method. It turns out what I said was erroneous. We did a trial of water cuttings in early to midfall this year. I had thought it was a complete washout, but due to my failing eyesight I wasn't checking up on the water medium cuttings enough. Turns out those dinky unknown pastelier cuttings we're more successful than I thought. The success rate for autumn water rooting cuttings was 50%. Also the water was not changed but twice. So months went by with little or no water changing. Of course there was a lot of rain water during that time in my part of California. So the original water medium was replenished with rainwater as well. There were no heating mats there was a lot of cold evenings, and yet 50% success rate. I will definitely be trying water rooting again. I also want to try root riot cubes for rooting as well.

 

[LaFigGwr18]

Update on the water roots. They are starting to show a little better in my opinion.

 

[Figless]

@LaFigGwr18 those pictures you posted look completely promising. Looks like everybody's getting some success with this method. There are certain types of the year such as early middle and late fall when this technique could be extremely promising especially for fresh green or ligified green cuttings to be rooted. I did not have good luck with the pot and bag green cutting summer method. So using water cultivation might be a more successful or as successful alternative. I know the unknown pastelier cuttings that were successful in water were partially legified but they were small cuttings. Just a couple inches long.

 

[bushdoctor82]

Here’s a few of mine from this morning after ~25 days. Still no rot or roots.

 

[LaFigGwr18]

Here’s a few of mine from this morning after ~25 days. Still no rot or roots.

View attachment 3777

Mine have only been a week. I had this cuttings and had not decided what to do with them and then I read a thread on here about water rooting. Here we are. Your cuttings still look good. I hope they root for you.

 

[LaFigGwr18]

Next update to water rooting. I started these 3 cuttings back at the begining of January. We are now in February and look at the roots on the 3rd pic. I was thinking of potting it since our temps are going to be in the 70's this week. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[ktrain]

Next update to water rooting. I started these 3 cuttings back at the begining of January. We are now in February and look at the roots on the 3rd pic. I was thinking of potting it since our temps are going to be in the 70's this week. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

The one thing I noticed when I tried rooting in water was, when it came time to pot the soil had to be considerably wet.
Trying to match the environment it just came from as to not shock the roots.
If it's one thing I've learned with these things, consistency is key.
That is partly why I stopped rooting that way, eliminating the up pot at the fragile stage the roots are in made my success rate way better.
But that's just me, maybe I man handled them too much...lol

 

[TorontoJoe]

The one thing I noticed when I tried rooting in water was, when it came time to pot the soil had to be considerably wet.
Trying to match the environment it just came from as to not shock the roots.
If it's one thing I've learned with these things, consistency is key.
That is partly why I stopped rooting that way, eliminating the up pot at the fragile stage the roots are in made my success rate way better.
But that's just me, maybe I man handled them too much...lol

I have to second the "consistency" thing. I've had success rooting in all sorts of mediums. In almost evert case where there has been failure, it's been on the pot up.

It would seem like me, figs don't like change

 

[DianaNE]

Last year I had some cuttings that rooted in water. When the roots got a couple inches long I up potted them in damp cups of DE . They didn't skip a beat no wilting leaves. I watered them every 2 to 3 days never letting them dry out. When the roots filled the cups I uppotted them without knocking off the DE. They did fine.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Last year I had some cuttings that rooted in water. When the roots got a couple inches long I up potted them in damp cups of DE . They didn't skip a beat no wilting leaves. I watered them every 2 to 3 days never letting them dry out. When the roots filled the cups I uppotted them without knocking off the DE. They did fine.

Makes sense, if starting in water they need to stay wet.